Conservation and Development in Northern Thailand. Proceedings of a Programmatic Workshop on Agro-forestry and Highland-Lowland Interactive Systems, Held at Chiang Mai, Thailand, 13-17 November 1978 (UNU, 1980, 114 pages)

Subcommittee reports, plenary discussion, and recommendations

Report by the subcommittee on documentation, training, and personnel

Report by the subcommittee on mapping and cover-type data requirements

Report by the subcommittee on climate, soil. and soil erosion data requirements

Report by the subcommittee on socio-cultural, demographic, and economic aspects

Plenary session

Recommendations

Report by the subcommittee on documentation, training, and personnel

These three topics of documentation, training, and personnel, while somewhat
different among themselves, are linked here because they represent a special
type of immediate research support system for the central research project. As
the research project itself becomes more clearly defined and progresses to the
actual field-work stage, the recommendations herein will require progressive
modification.

Documentation

The subcommittee recommends the establishment of a reference collection of
documents immediately related to research problems and methods in the Northern
Thai highlands and lowlands, and of documents of a more general nature. Such
materials should be in the possession of Chiang Mai University but housed at the
Huai Thung Choa field station. Documents should include topographic and thematic
maps of various scales. air photographs and satellite imagery. and copies of
reports and scientific papers, as well as selected standard textbooks, reference
works, and laboratory and field manuals. It would be best to begin with
preparation of an annotated bibliography. An effort should be made to provide
for translation into the Thai language. Close collaboration should be developed
with the National Research Council, the Tribal Research Centre, Chiang Mai, and
similar resource centres to avoid unnecessary duplication. However, emphasis is
placed on the need to upgrade the research effectiveness of the Huai Thung Choa
field station itself.

To begin this process, participants of this workshop are requested to make
available copies of their own research reports and associated publications.
Exchanges with similar UNU and other projects need to be developed and
maintained.

Visiting scientists who work on the project should be required to ensure that
early preliminary reports of their work, plus copies of all their field data, be
deposited with the project co-ordinator before they leave the Chiang Mai region.

Efforts should be made to ensure dissemination of results and related
information at various levels: scientific publications. UNU newsletter, and
lay-orientated articles in popular magazines.

Training

Training needs are seen to fall into several categories: (1 ) training of
younger scholars (bachelor-master level), (2) specialized training of graduates
and research fellows to ensure higher technical and interdisciplinary input, and
(3) Inservice training of government employees. especially those of the Royal
Forestry Department. The degree-earning approach should be de-emphasized
although the overall project is perceived as being eminently suitable for
attainment of higher degrees by graduate student project participants. Chiang
Mai University faculty with heavy pre-existing commitments could be assisted by
provision of teaching assistants, or could be encouraged to direct project
graduate students.

The project could also benefit considerably by arrangements being made to
encourage participation of graduate students and senior scientists from
countries with similar problems, for example. Burma, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and
others. This could be achieved by provision of UNU fellowships, but also other
agency and national funding could also be acquired.

A fourth type of training and educational development, of course, relates to
the associated highland people themselves. Success in ensuring adoption of any
alternative land-use approaches and agro-forestry techniques and innovations
will depend heavily upon dissemination of information and example amongst the
highland peoples themselves.

Personnel

A project co-ordinator should be formally appointed and granted partial UNU
salary support. He should have a parttime assistant co-ordinator who would also
preferably be included in the project as a research officer. Senior research
fellows, both Thai and visitors, need to be identified to ensure that the many
facets of this interdisciplinary project are properly staffed. Graduate research
students must be identified and consideration given to acquisition of
technical/clerical support staff as required.

The foregoing recommendations presuppose that a sustained effort be made by
the Project Co-ordinator and the UN University to ensure participation of
faculty and graduate students from the various relevant components of Chiang Mai
University. and liason developed with other appropriate research projects being
undertaken in Northern Thailand.

To ensure adequate review and evaluation of progress the UN University. in
consultation with Chiang Mai University. should appoint an advisory committee
consisting of two senior Thai research administrators and two outside experts.
together with a UNU staff officer. This committee should hold its first meeting
in November 1979 in conjunction with the already planned agro forestry workshop
so as to reduce expenses to a minimum. A proposed structure for the research
organization is shown in Fig. 1.